This county was
named in honor of President Adams. The surface is level, being
beautifully undulating in some quarters. There are no barren lands, and
but little wet prairie. There is a considerable portion of bottom
lands, but the greater portion of the county is upland, heavily
timbered. In some of the wet prairies of this county we find the
water-shed from which the waters run both toward the St. Lawrence and
the Mississippi. In these swampy sections are definable traces of
beaver dams. The soil is mixed clay and marl, and is said to improve
with continued cultivation. Timber was originally in abundance,
consisting of oak, hickory, buckeye, ash, beech, elm, linn, walnut,
sycamore, poplar, and cottonwood. The principal water courses are the
Wabash and St. Mary's rivers. In this county they are about equal in
size, their average breadth being about one hundred and fifty feet. The
St. Mary's was formerly navigated by flat boats, but is now obstructed
with mill dams.
This county has made good progress in agriculture, commerce and
education. Decatur is the county seat, and is but twenty-one miles from
Fort "Wayne. It is a flourishing city, with excellent incorporated
schools, substantial buildings, well kept streets, and thriving
commercial interests, with good railroad facilities.
Adams
County is divided into 12 Civil Townships as follows:
Blue
Creek, French, Hartford, Jefferson, Kirkland, Monroe,
Preble, Root, St. Marys, Union, Wabash and Washington.
